Apparatus for harvesting ice.



G. L. REUSCHUNE. APPARATUS FOR HARVESHNG ICE.

Q APPLICATION mm mm 8. 1916. I 1,274,079. Patented July 30,19 8.

3 sHEETs-sHEET I.

F52 I 45 v [P 57- 1 74 Z6 1 54 4r HQ-1- G. L. REUSCHLINE. APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING ICE,

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8. 1916.

Patented July 30, 1918,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented July 30,1918. v 3 SHEETS-SHEETSU H GE ORGE L. REUSCHLINE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQR T6 AMERICAN ICE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING ICE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Gnoncn L. REUSCH- LINE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvemen s in Apparatus for Harvesting Ice, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus fol" harvesting ice,particularly artificial ice.

It is the object of my invention to provide apparatus for cutting plate ice while in the vertical position into a plurality of blocks.

To these ends I provide apparatus, of the character hereinafter described; for sawing the, plate of ice vertically and horizontally, the vertical sawing preferably being intermittentand alternating with horizontal cuts.

My invention comprises a'power or motor driven carriage carrying horizontal saws \for making the horizontal cuts; it comprises also vertical saws which with their driving motor may be swung into and out of position for vertically'sawing the plate; it comprises further power actuated means for tilting the aforementioned motor and vertical saws; it comprises further independent motor driven means for elevating the plate of ice; it comprises further means'for automatically displacing a severed block of ice, preferably to a conveyor which carries it away; it comprises other features herein-' after described and combinations of various features.

For an illustration of one of the forms'of apparatus embodying my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is aside elevational view, partly in section, of the ice harvesting apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 being partly in section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

3 is a plan .view, on enlarged scale, and partly in horizontal section, of parts of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of mechanism for actuating the vertical saws and driving motor.

Fig. 5 is'js. cross sectional view-through a chain wheel constituting part of the ice plateelevating mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View through an ice is. shown'in section, it and driven by the shaft 11 which is inturn Specification of Letters Iatent. -Pgi$gnfi ed July 30 1918, Application filed July 8, 1916. Serial No. 108,189. V

plate showing means frozen therein for raismg the sam I Fig. 7 is an elevational view of gaging and switching mechanism for controlling. limitation of elevation of the ice plate.

The water to be frozen into ice maybe contained in a compartment which is relatively narrow, and deep and broad. The water is cooled and eventually frozen by well known refrigerating methods resulting in a plate of ice,-a section of which is indicated at P, Fig. 6. Frozen in the plate is a plurality of tubes or pipes 1), generally closed at thcirlower ends, and each provided at the upper end with an eye or hook it by which a traveling crane may raise the plate P from the cell or compartment in which it is formed vertically upwardclear of its cell or compartment and then carried to the apparatus about to be described.

The plate P, indicated in dottedlines, F ig. l, is then lowered by the crane to the position indicated in- Fig. 1 until it rests upon the false bottoms 1, which latter are spaced from each other'to permit passage past the vertical saws hereinafter referred to.

When the plate has been so placed in the apparatus the hooks or eye members 72. are removed from the pipes 9' and hot Water or other heating medium introduced into the latter to thaw them' loose fromthe plate P, whereupon they are withdrawn upwardly and removed.

The plate P then finds itself continuing in a vertical position such as it occupied during the freezing operation.

The false bottoms 1 are supported by vertical members 2 upon the horizontal beam driving sprocket wheel 7. and then attached I at 8, Fig.2, to the deck or floor D. The 1 frame or framework upon which the plate I rests as describedis provided at its sides with guide-rollersfi, Fig. 1,.which roll upon or engage the lateral vertically extending guides. 19. 7 The ,'chain driving wheels "i; one of which ig; 5, are secured upon driven by a ear housed within the" casing 12, said gear sing in turn driven by a worm I s cu e-(l upon the shaft 13 gee fliHl Worm. being hidden Within the or. 12.

The shaft 13 is ciriven by the gear 1 18 in turn driven by a pinion 15, E19. 1 the she-it 16 of the reversible electric n".-

L 3 iii supplied with current from any suite-hie 7 source through usual starting and switching .teble 2i.

mechanism, not shown. A liorizontol shaft 17 is supported upon the framework in the members 18 and upon this shaft 17 pivotecl a frame comprising the rocking sicle levers 3.9 and the tie beams 52G. (lozinectiug and. movable With the levers l9 a. table platform 21 upon which is mounted the electric motor M which drives through the sprocket chain, belt or other suitable means 22 the horizontal shaft carried by and iourualecl in upper ezuls the rocking levers 19. Secured upon .l (lriven by the shaft are the vertical SfitWS 24;, one less in number than the number so. ertical strips i' to which the iceplate P be out. The saws 2e are epeccclet any desired or suitable distances from each other in accordance with the length of the blocks of ice required. Upwardly extenthiig shafts its we reversible electric motor iii supporteii iii any suitable position, as, for example, upon (leek ll Supported upon suf eblo floor beams are the rails ell, Figs. 5') 21ml disposed op oosite sures of the plate me P and eiv tending parallel thereto. llheels 42, sup porting the carriage 43, roll upon the mile 4 one so provi le means or the travel of 3 lengthwise or the top oi? the 'ce 1?. Upon the carriage 1S sup go ate of: l ports-(i the r RGTSllBlQ electric motor M which orives the horizontal. shaft 44 upon which are Secured bevel gears which drive the bevel gears 46 on too upper ends of the ver tical she-its Q? on Wboeeloiver are the bev l gears 4-8 which in turn mesh with and rive the bevel gears 49 secured to and driv 111g two of the carriage Wheels these "means the motor M moves the carriage it) backwarcily and forwardly uccorrliu 51 to (lirection of rotation of the motor lil which receives its electric energy from the electric current supply conductors with which engage sliding cont-cote or 'l-lfllli'fl, rieiil i the cerrie e 43, a controller mg to start one reverse the 1 M which elevates trio motore M hil deriving electric energy through he cling contacts from the condor/tore 50, the usual starting boxes, not elioii'n, being grovidecl. These motors have their rotor shafts 53 vertical and at the lower ends of these shafts are secured the horizontal circular saws 54 Whose peripheral teeth rotate in close proximity to each other, On the short horizontal shaft 55 carried by the 'arringe i8 is secured she member 56 disposed in alioement with. the ice plate P. Upon the shaft is secured a bevel gear 5'? which meshes with and drives the bevel 58 secured upon and driving the vertical shaft 59 upon Whose lower end is Seourerl the gear 30 meshing with and iil'ivire; the reel: 61 movable longitudinally in gill Cooperating with the outer the rack member (51 is the vertical cl or pivoted at 65 to the memiorte'tl by the vertical support 67. llcrteiielif laterally from the member 66 is the bottom plate 68 Whose upper surface is substantially on a level With the horizontal saws I Upon the clock or floor D, Fig. 7, or upon any other suitable support is lisposed :1 standard (39 upon which there is pivoted at T0 the bar 71 provided. with the rearwiu'dlv eizteiuling WolgllbTQ. At the outer eml oi? the our 7] there is pivoted at 73 the hell crank levcr in Whose outwardly extending gage arm 7 carried a tappet or gage member adjustable us to height by screw threading through the member 74. The 5. ige member or tuppet' '55 is shown disposed immediately above the plate of ice P in its vertical path oi travel. To the other arm 76 of the boil crank lover there is pivoted at 7'? the rod pivoted at 79 to the latch 80 which pivoteil zit Sl to the bar Tl. The latch 80 engages the abutment 82 between which and the under side of the/bar 71 is disposed :1 compression spring 83 tending to throw the bur Tl upwardly. In the member is a slot L in which engages a pin 85 on the end bar 86 pivotecl at 87 to the electric switching mechanism 88 which controls current supplied to the motor the plate of. ice P. The t-iippet or member 75 is so adjusted as to height above the horizontal sows 54- as to correspond with the height or thickness of the blocks of ice to be out from the plate P.

The operation is as follows: The plate of ice l? having been transferred in vertical position from the freezing tank to the aforementioned apparatus, and rest ing upon the bottoms 1 and continuing; in such vertical position, the motor M may lil'r'ii be etnrtcr lincl thereby rotate the vertiion the motor M is starteil will cause the shafts 25 ction es to raise and tilt Qua.

--c on that through the gearing the frame or table 21 in acounter-clockwise direction, Fig. 2, about the shaft 17, thereby moving the now rotating saws 24 toward the left, Fig. 2, which now out into and across the top of the plate P. When the suns 24 have beenimoved toward the left sufficiently to insure cutting entirely throu h the plate P, the motor M is stopped and t is saws 24 remain in their forwardly tilted position.

Then the motor may be started and through the gearingpreviously described cause the chains 5 to pull upwardly upon the lower wheels 4 and so raise the frame comprising the bottoms 1 upon which the plate P rests, thereby elevating the plate P against the rotatin vertical saws 24 which thereby saw vertica ly downwardly into the plate P. The plate P continues to be ele vated as described until its upper edge or face engages the gage member 7 5, whereupon the bell crank lever '74, 76 will be rotated about its pivot 73, Fig. 7, and the rod 78 will disengage the latch 80 from the abutment 82 whereupon the spring 83 will thrust the arm or bar 71 upwardly and due to the weight 72 the bar will take the position indicated by .dotted lines. In so moving, the rod 86 is moved toward the left and the switch 88 opened, and in consequence the ice plate elevating motor M is stopped. The

plate P now extends to such height above the plane of the horizontal saw's 54 as to correspond with the thickness of the ice blocks to be cut.

At this stage we have the plate P. extend ing the desired distance above the level of the horizontal saws 54 and there are vertiprising thefalse bottoms 1 is returned to cal' saw cuts therein at distances apart corresponding to the lengths of the ice blocks desired.

Now the operator upon the carriage 43- starts the motors M, M, which rotate the horizontal saws 54. Then he starts the m0- tor M which, through the gearing heretofore described, causes the carriage 43 to move forwardly upon the rails 41 and carry the rotating saws 54 against a vertical edge of the plate P and to saw into the same and thereby sever the ice blocks in succession from the top of the plate P.

' As each block, as B, Fig. 3, is so finally severed by the horizontal saws 54, the-continued progress of the carriage 43 across or above the same causes such block eventually to engage the member 56 and thereby rotate the shaft 55 through a partial turn or revolution, with the result that the gear 57 toward {the left the plate or member 64 j-whichthen kicks or thruststhe block B on to and across the downwardly inclined surface or plate 89, Figs; 2 and 3, and delivers the same on to the traveling conveyer 90 which moves in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the movement of the carriage 43 being preferablyin the opposite direction. The conveyor then carries the block B away to storage or to the delivery platform of the ice plant.

And so successive blocks B are cut from the topjofa plate P. When the last block of a row has been sawed off, the carriage 43 is returned, by reversing the motor M, to its normal or "original position indicated in Fig. 1 and the motor M stopped.

Then the plate elevating motor M is again started in the same direction as before, and the arm 71 having been restored to position indicated in Fig. Z, the plate P is again elevated a distance corresponding with the width of the blocks to be cut, and in so do ing the vertical saws 24 cut vertical slits in the plate P. Then the carriage 43 is againcaused to traverse the plate P and cut off a second row of blocks which are kicked off by the member 63 on to the conveyer 90 as above described,

This operation is. continued until'there remain on the bottoms 1 only the bottom or last row of blocks which upon the final elevation of the frame by motor M are delivered on the conveyer 90. I i

Thereafter the motor M may be started in the opposite direction and the frame composition indicated in Fig. Lin preparation for reception of the next plate of ice P. The motor M is started in the opposite direction and the platform 21 tilted back- \vai'dly to restore the vertical saws 24 and their driving motor M to normal position,

' From the foregoing description it is seen that the plate of ice P. which ordinarily weighs seventons, is 1 foot thick, 13 feet high and 18 feet wide, is retained in its '110 original vertical position as it is formed or frozen, and while continuing in such' posi tion is transferred tothe sawing'or cutting apparatus and continued in vertical posi tion, while throughortli: the following process of saw tag or cuttingi which consists in first malting vertical cuts in the plate P for a short distance. than v making a transverse cut tdscver the first row of, blocks, then cutting another predetermined distance Ver-' tically into the plate '1, then Horizontally. cutting the same to. sever the second row. of blocks, and so on until fiihe entire late I has been cut up into suitably sized bloc (s..

By this procedure the breakage or frac ture of the ice plate is practically nil, and is greatly less than in the cases where the plate is either tilted over into a horizontal. position and then cut up or sawed from top edge to bottom edge into vertical strips 180 riage movable with respec to horizontal posishorter pieces.

which are then laid over tion and then sawed into Elliot 1 claim is:

1. ice cutting apparatus comprising a car riage movable with respect to a mass of ice, a saw carried by said carriage for sawing said ice, as member carried by said carriage and'actuated by the ice, and means actuated by said member for displacing a block of ice when severed.

2. Ice cutting apparatus comprising; a carriage movable with respect to a mass of ice, a saw carried by said carriage for sawing the ice, a member carried by said carriage and engaged by theice due to movement of said carriage with respect to said ice, and a member hinged upon said carriage and actuated by said first named member to displace a block of ice when severed.

Ice cutting apparatus comprising a carriage movable with respect to amass of ice,

a saw carried by said carriage for sawing the ice, a conveyer disposed beside choice and movable in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of said carriage, a member on said carriage engaged and actuated by the ice, and a member actuated by said first named member for displacing a severed block of ice transversely with respect to the direction. of movement of said carriage toward said conveyer.

4. lee cutting apparatus comprising a car- '0 to a mass of ice, e safw carried by said carriage for sawing the ice, at conveyer disposed beside the ice and movable in a direction parallel-to the direction or movement of said carriage, a. member on said carriage engaged and actu atedby the ice, a member actuated bysaid first named member for displacing a severed block oi ice transversely with respect to the direction of movement of said carriage toremove tion, a vertical saw, means for elevating said ice plate with respect to Said sew whereby said plate is sawed vertically, means limiting the elevation of snid plate to an amountless than the height of saidplate, a carriage movable horizontally across Said plate, and

a horizontal saw carried by said carriage, whereby said plate is severed into blocks;

7. In ice cutting apparatus, a movable cerriage, an ice cutter carri d thereby, means carried by said carriage and actuated by severed ice, and means actuated by said meansfor delivering the severed ice in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said carriage.

8. Ice cutting apparatus comprising means for supporting an tion, a vertical cutter, means for causing upward movement of said ice plate with respect to said cutter whereby said plateis cut vertically, a gage determining the vertical movement of said plate with respect to said cutter, means controlled by said gage controlling said second named means, and a movable horizontally to Sever ice blocks whose height, has been predetermined by said gage. r

In testimony whereof l have hereunto affixed my signature this 6 day of July, 1916. GEORGE L. REUSCHLINE.

it ice plate in vertical posi 

